Wiener Stadthalle

Wiener Stadthalle (German: [ˈviːnɐ ˈʃtathalə]; English: Viennese City Hall) is a multi-purpose indoor arena and convention center located in the 15th district of Vienna, Austria. The Austrian architect Roland Rainer designed the original halls, which were constructed between 1953 and 1958 and later expanded in 1974, 1994 and 2006. The main hall, a flexible multi-purpose venue, is Austria's largest indoor arena and can hold up to approximately 16,083 people. Since 2006, the complex has housed six main venues (each of which can be used separately or combined) consisting of two gymnasiums, an indoor ice rink, large-capacity indoor arena, a small multi-purpose hall, an auditorium with a show stage and an adjacent swimming pool. It serves as a venue for a variety of events, including concerts, exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences, lectures, theatre, televisiom and sports. The Wiener Stadthalle is a subsidiary of Wien Holding and stages more than 350 events each year that attract around a million visitors. Halls A, B and C, as well as the Stadthallenbad, are managed by the Viennese sports venues corporation GmbH. History of events The arena has been site of the annual Erste Bank Open tennis tournament since 1974 and has hosted the ice shows Vienna Ice Revue and Holiday on Ice, the touring horse show Apassionata annually and the circus show Artisten-Tiere-Attraktionen from 1959 to 1995. The Stadthalle has also hosted a number of sporting events including the 1970 European Athletics Indoor Championships, the 2004 European Short Course Swimming Championships, the 2010 and 2020 European Men's Handball Championship, the 2011 Men's European Volleyball Championship, the Austrian International open badminton tournament and the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1967, 1977, 1987, 1996 and 2005. The Austrian broadcaster ORF announced on August 6, 2014 that Stadthalle would be the host venue for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, following the victory of Conchita Wurst in the 2014 Final in Copenhagen, Denmark. The arena hosted the 60th contest in the main hall; the semi-finals were held on May 19 and 21 and the grand final was held on the night of May 23, 2015, where Måns Zelmerlöw won the contest for Sweden. On August 20, 2025 it was announced that the venue would host the Eurovision Song Contest again in 2026 following the victory of JJ in 2025 with the song "Wasted Love". Building The complex comprises six interconnecting halls: A and B (gymnasiums built in 1957, which can also be used for conferences or lectures), C (indoor ice rink), D (indoor arena, mostly for concerts or sport), E (small multi-purpose hall for smaller events) and F (arena hall for more intimate concerts). In addition to the halls, there is a residential and workshop building with a garage, an administration building with a restaurant, as well as the machine rooms and transformer station. In December 2022, a photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of Hall D for the production of green electricity. This was later expanded to Hall F and completed in September 2024. Halls A and B Halls A and B were completed in 1957 as a gymnasium and sports hall. Hall A is 18 by 36 metres (59 ft × 118 ft) and 7.6 metres (25 ft) high, whilst Hall B is 30 by 60 metres (98 ft × 197 ft) and 11.8 metres (39 ft) high. Both halls can also be used for conferences or lectures. Hall B has long-sided stands with a capacity of 390 people, and the stands can be extended at the ends by 650 people. The basement of Hall A houses training rooms and the lower level of Hall B contains bowling lanes and dressing rooms. Hall C Hall C, completed in 1958, houses an ice rink 30 by 60 by 7.3 metres (98 ft × 197 ft × 24 ft) and is operated by Die EisStadthalle. In addition to training opportunities for ice hockey and figure skating, it also offers public facilities for kindergarten and exhibition skating. Hall D Completed in 1958, the large multi-purpose main hall is Austria's largest indoor arena. The structure is 98 by 110 metres (322 ft × 361 ft) and has a ridge height of 26.6 metres (87 ft) with a usable floor area measuring 98 by 55.2 by 15.4 metres (322 ft × 181 ft × 51 ft). The hall is a flexible space offering a variety of standard and bespoke layouts with up to 10,741 seats (fixed and removable). With a combination of floor standing and reduced seating, the overall capacity can be increased up to 16,083. The venue has special curtain systems and ground-level stands on the north and south sides of the hall which can be fully closed to divide the hall into several parts. Above this, there are two tiers, and if necessary, a stand can be constructed in the stalls on one side. The stage can be up to 600 square metres (6,500 sq ft) and is supported with two VIP rooms, dressing rooms and offices backstage. For the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, it offered seating for a total of 10,500 spectators alongside standing room. On the east side, the hall was narrowly divided, creating commentary boxes parallel to the stage with a green room installed in front of them. Hall E The small multi-purpose hall was completed in 1994 and holds up to 1,482 people. It is 50 by 25 by 4.5 metres (164 ft × 82 ft × 15 ft) and is used mainly for exhibitions, conventions and social receptions. Hall F Conceived as an arena hall, Hall F was completed in 2006 and holds up to 2,036 visitors in raked theatre seating. It is 68.2 by 73.4 by 12.5 metres (224 ft × 241 ft × 41 ft). The hall has a built-in catwalk and an audio and video system. To accommodate visitors, there is a 1,300 square metres (14,000 sq ft) foyer, a connected restaurant with two additional foyers of 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) and a banquet hall of 300 square metres (3,200 sq ft). Stadthallenbad In 1974, the additional Stadthallenbad and three public swimming pools, were constructed. For the 2004 European Short Course Swimming Championships, the center added a temporary pool of 1,025 square metres (11,030 sq ft) in the main hall. Entertainment Gallery See also List of tennis stadiums by capacity List of indoor arenas in Austria References External links Official website Die EisStadthalle Wiener Stadthalle in Austria-Forum (in German) (at AEIOU)